Secret Origins
by TheDirtyDan
Summary: When an alien spy is revealed to the public eye, Dib Membrane must undertake a mission to save his planet from annihilation by an alien armada more powerful than Earth's global defenses. Along the way, he will make alliances with other heroes to save their planet from annihilation before it's too late. Inspired by The Avengers (2012).
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim or any of the shows that I may use in this story. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It was a mutual understanding among teenagers that high school sucks.

There are many reasons one could have strong feelings of resent towards it; Gym class, puberty, pep rallies, homework, waking up so goddamn early in the morning, etc. But there were a few pros for such a horrendous place like watching people fight each other, sex, and making new friends.

However, for one certain teenager, all the pros unfortunately never came to him.

Dib Membrane was an oddity among his peers, even by the other social outcasts of society. At the normal age of 17, the first thing that made him stand out in crowds was his unusually large head that people theorized was because of some weird birth defect that made it grow bigger with each passing year.

The second thing was the long trench coat he wore that made people inch away from him in fear because... well, let's just say that anti-social teenagers and trench coats don't mix together so well.

And finally, but most importantly, Dib is obsessed with all things related to the paranormal and it is because of this obsession that has caused others to dismiss him as being "crazy" or "insane".

With no friends and a family that spends little-to-no time with each other, it's a mystery how Dib could remain sane throughout all this. Well, the reason was simple... he had an alien spy for a classmate named Zim.

Zim is a member of the alien Irken race, who was sent by his leaders on a secret mission to Earth to conquer it and expand their ever-growing empire. (Or that's what Zim believed, and had told Dib after many battles with the human.) After arriving on Earth, Zim enrolled in the nearest elementary skool to begin his infiltration and gather information about the human race. There, he became quick rivals with Dib, who has tried time and again to expose the alien's true identity, only to be brushed aside as usual.

It's been over six years since Zim came to Earth and no one still believes Dib's claims about the Invader's true intentions, even after the revelation of other alien life such as the barbaric Lowardians that invaded Earth last year. Dib had hoped, prayed even, that someone would at least take his side for once, but alas, twas not to be. There were even moments that Dib found himself dumbfounded by the idiocy of the townspeople believing Zim's lies, making the boy theorize that Zim secretly poisoned the town's water-system with some kind of Irken bio-weapon, but he threw that idea out when he realized that he was still sane...

The boy sighed to himself as he sat down in his usual corner with the daily gruel served by the skool's cafeteria workers. He glanced down at the lunch tray with a look of disgust, trying not to gag at the godawful stench that radiated off of it. And he thought the booths at Bloaty's reeked. Ignoring the voice in the back of his head screaming at him not to do it, Dib reached for his plastic spork (That was somehow covered in rust) and stabbed it into the mush that one would call mashed potatoes, had it not look and smell like rancid dog turds.

As he pulls the spork out of the mush, his eyes drifted over across the cafeteria to meet Zim's soulless implants and frowned at the look on the Invader's ugly mug; The best way he could describe it is the way a predator would look when they corner their prey. Though he hated to admit it, Dib has been kinda worried about being around Zim's vicinity. He still hated the little green bastard, but lately Zim's efforts to rid himself of his nemesis has been much more life-threatening than the previous attempts.

He cut the brakes to Dib's Oldsmobile, causing him to crash but received just a couple scrapes and a car totaled beyond repair.

He broke into his house one night to replace his dad's not-so-secret alcohol stash with bottles of gasoline that the teenager nearly drank before he recognized the horrid smell.

And he nearly dropped a disco ball on Dib's head during last year's School Dance that was somehow filled with Androctonus Scorpions, the most deadliest kind of scorpions on the planet.

No matter what he did, the students would always ignore Zim's antics and go on with their daily lives without ever acknowledging the two arch-enemies with a single glance. _Honestly, at this point, should I really be surprised?_ Dib bitterly reflected to himself, sending a glare towards Zim, who merely chuckled sinisterly back at him. _The little green bastard's practically a ghost to the school, and everyone just flat-out hates me because... well, I'm me._

He gritted his teeth in frustration at the cold stares of indifference sent his way, each glare felt like a stab to the chest. _God, I just wish they could understand me. I just wish that I can actually have a normal day..._

 _I just wish I could win at something for once in my life._

However, as he raised the mush up to his lips, a sudden urge came over him; His nose twitched and he felt his eyes slightly tear up before letting a loud sneeze that earned him a few looks sent his way, which he promptly ignored. It was then that he noticed something odd with his food, particularly the edge of something metallic lodged in the middle of the mush. His mind went blank for a moment before it regained enough brainwaves to process what was sticking out like a sore thumb. Picking up the spork that he had dropped, he used it to poke into the area where the thing was at, and stop when the spork came into contact with something that bent it backwards.

He instantly dug into the mush, fingers scooping up chunks and tossing them to the side, before freezing in place at what he saw; Though the design didn't resemble anything of this world, he instantly knew what it was when he saw several symbols seemingly counting down.

A bomb.

Time seemed to slow down for Dib, even his heartbeat skipped a beat or two. _Holy. Shit._ seemed to be the only two words that Dib could be able to process right now. His hands grew clammy, beads of sweat poured down his face, and he began shaking once he realized what the intention of this device would do to him.

Whenever it went off, he would die.

...

"LIKE HELL I WILL!" Dib exclaimed, startling those around him who thought he had finally snapped. Looking over, he still saw Zim cackling to himself with his eyes closed, making a vicious smirk grow on Dib's face. _Good._

Without a second thought, he grabbed the edges of his tray and chucked it over towards Zim, whose eyes happen to open just as the bomb sailed out of the mush and land right square on his own tray. The Irken Invader suddenly paused, staring at the bomb he crafted in the bowels of his laboratory with a emotionless look for a moment before it morphed into one of fear and surprise at his genius plan being discovered, he didn't have time to react before the device reached its end and everything went bright, shortly followed by an earth-shattering 'BOOM!'

What happened next went by as a blur to Dib. He could faintly hear the screams of his classmates as they rushed to the cafeteria's exit to avoid becoming the next victims of a potential skool shooting, while the supervisors in the cafeteria rush to tackle Dib for his actions. "No! No, not me!" he heard himself scream over the constant ringing in his ears. "It's Zim! You have to catch Zi-" Suddenly, throughout the chaos in the small area, a horrible scream pierced through everyone's ears.

Those who were still in the cafeteria turned to see one of the lunch lady's pointing at the area where the bomb went off. "OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT THING?!"

 _Thing?_

A small sliver of emotion went through Dib's being at the word that echoed repeatedly in his head. Could it be?

Through the smoke, they could all see a small form! picking himself back up from the explosion, garnering many reactions from those watching such as shock, surprise, horror, and fear. However, only Dib could make out something on the top of the form's head that no one else could; two small antennas attached to the top of the form's head. Dib felt his jaw drop in disbelief, _This can't be happening._

Stumbling out of the smoke like a bumbling drunk was Zim, or rather, the Zim that only Dib knew of. What was left of the alien's fake wig now lied as a smoking ruin on the tiled floor, and one of his contacts had been destroyed during the blast, revealing the Irken's pupiless ruby-red eye that seemed less brighter than it originally was. It took only a few seconds to regain his b earings and realize that all eyes were on him. "What? Is there something on my Human face?"

No one said a word, everyone was staring at Zim with wide eyes and parted lips, who was still oblivious to the whole thing. It wasn't until Dib squirmed his way out of the supervisors arms, and started bouncing in his place with excitement like a kid in a candystore. It didn't take long for Zim to put two-and-two together about why the students were looking at him so strangely and Dib was so ecstatic. "Oh..." Zim muttered, the other contact on his face suddenly broke in half and fell off his face. "...Grop."

"SEE!" Dib crowed, pointing at Zim with a manic look on his face. "I FUCKING TOLD YOU PEOPLE! ZIM'S. AN. ALIEN!"

And then, all hell broke loose.

Realizing that his position's been comprised, Zim yelled in anger, startling Dib and the other students, who ran out of the room after capturing a few pictures of Zim in his true form. Dib, however, remained in place with a victorious smirk on his face as he reached into the back of his trench coat and pulled out some alien binders that Dib's been saving for awhile.

"Well, Zim, looks like your time's up." Dib declared, slowly approaching the alien with the open cuffs in his trembling hands, not from fear but from excitement. "Gotta say, if you had actually put more effort into your half-ass scheme to blow me to bits, you'd might've won. But now? Not so much."

Zim sneered at the towering teenager. "Foolish Dib, do you really think that you've bested me, the mighty Zim?! Ha! I laugh at your pitiful human intelligence, idiot schoolboy! Zim always has the other hand on his opponents."

"...don't you mean the upper-hand _over_ your opponents?"

"SILENCE!" Four large metal spider-like limbs suddenly unfolded themselves from Zim's PAK, stabbing themselves into the ground to raise their host up in the air to try and gain some sort of an advantage over his nemesis. "YOU HAVE INSULTED ZIM'S INTELLIGENCE FOR TOO LONG, AND NOW YOU WILL FEEL MY WRATH OF VENGEANCE!"

Dib made some kind of odd squeal before ducking to the side to avoid being skewered like a kebab, dashing over to one of the overturned tables to avoid the tiny alien's anger. His eyes frantically scanned the room for some kind of weapon to use until he realized that there's nothing in a high skool cafeteria that could help him combat against alien technology. _Knew I should have brought my gear to skool._ Dib lamented, remembering the decision to lock away all the Irken gear that he salvaged from Tak's ship to help assist him in the fight against Zim, particularly the alien pistol he created himself from both human and Irken technology.

He then moved out of his hiding spot when the limbs stabbed themselves into the table and tore it apart like sheet paper. Dib continued to avoid the limbs of death while trying to block out Zim's hellish cackling from being the last thing he ever hears in his short and pitiful life, as his eyes continued to comb the room for some sort of opening to escape or attack Zim. _Damn, at this rate, I'll be torn to shreds before I can get a hit on Zim._

However, as he rolled to the side to avoid another attack, he looked across the room and saw his salvation in the form of one of the most annoying things that a skool can have; a fire alarm.

He then crouched down into a pose that runners would take on before a big race, taking in several deep breaths, before dashing for the alarm. Zim, seeing his enemy try to escape, jumped in front of his path to try and cut him off but was not prepared for the human to fall to his knees and skid underneath his PAK's limbs. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and was prepared to end the pathetic human's life before he froze at what he saw.

Dib, panting heavily, had his hand on the latch of a small red box that Zim's come to fear during his time on Earth. "NOOOO-"

But it was too late.

Without hesitation, Dib pulled down on the latch and the horrific sound of a bell ringing filled the rooms and halls of the skool, shortly followed by waves of water being expelled from the sprinklers above that rained down on the two in the cafeteria. Dib, despite his adrenaline rush, felt relieved by the feeling of cold water on his sweaty form and actually allowed it to wash over him.

Zim, on the other hand, didn't take it so well. "MY SKIN!" he shrieked like a banshee, trying pitifully to cover his form with his tiny arms. "IT BURNS! OH, IT'S BURNING! MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" In a move that surprised Dib, Zim had his PAK's limbs carve a hole in the roof and crawl his way out to the warm rays of sunshine.

Dib cursed to himself, blitzing through the overturned tables and backpacks strewn out all over the floor until he made it to the second entrance in the cafeteria and walked outside to see Zim, still using his PAK, charge his way out the skool's courtyard and into the oncoming waves of traffic. Ignoring the voice in his head to let him go, Dib continued chasing after his enemy with the goal of bringing him to justice for all the macabre acts that he's pulled for the past six years.

For the next several minutes, he followed Zim to the one place he knew the Invader was going, even after he had lost sight of the alien's form; his "house", which served as Zim's base-of-operations. By the time that he arrived at the street that he's been too over a million times, he stopped when he felt a faint vibration run through the ground that was quickly followed by the sound of engines. "No," he growled to himself. "You're not getting away this time."

He began running fast, faster than he's ever ran before in his life as the sound of engines grew louder and closer than before. His trench coat flapped in the breeze as his legs carried him to Zim's house only to find that the two-story building was no longer there and there was only a small spaceship in the center that looked to be in its final stages of taking off to who-knows-where. "ZIM!" Dib cried out, his voice cracking at the sheer volume of his yell.

From afar, he could make out the faint outline of his nemesis through the ship's cockpit and could see the head of said alien turn his way with his face blurry from the distance, but even Dib could tell that a grin was stretching from each corner of his lips. The ship finally rose up from the air with smoke and dirt bellowing from underneath the vessel, some of which that hit Dib's face with a force that left minor bruises on his big head, yet he still pushed forward. When Dib got close enough, he jumped onto the cockpit of Zim's vessel even as it elevated higher and higher into the air to the point of where Dib would end up as a bloody stain on the ground if he were to fall.

Peering into the cockpit's interior, he saw Zim at the controls with GIR, his insane robotic assistant, sitting next to the Invader. "ZIM! LAND THE DAMN SHIP, NOW!"

Zim merely grinned. "Sorry, _Dib_ ," he spat the teenager's name out as if it were poison. "But I have a planet to conquer, and you unfortunately won't be around to see it."

 _"Bye, Mr. Neo!"_ GIR chirped, waving at the panic-stricken Dib, who was now desperately trying to keep a grip on the vessel. However, Dib couldn't stay still with the ship's speed and ultimately lost his grip on the ship, falling through the air while screaming loudly for all to hear. As he looked down, he noticed that he was going to land in one of two spots; Either a pool in some backyard or on a very sharp metal fence. It didn't take a genius to know which one Dib tried to steer himself towards.

Sending out a quick prayer to whatever deity existed, Dib closed his eyes and threw himself towards the cold water of the pool. _At least today was interesting,_ Those were his final thoughts before blacking out from the impact.

But little did he know that the events of today would set off a chain of reactions that no one could have foreseen happening.


	2. Zim's Predicament

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim or any of the shows that I may use in this story. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Everything hurt.

His back felt like it was split in half, his legs felt as if they were noodles, and his head felt like a thousand nails was being hammered into his skull. The only things that he could say were working properly (And that's a term he used loosely) are his arms and eyes. A groan unconsciously escaped from his lips as he sat himself upwards from the worn leather seat that he laid upon, and realized that he was in a moving car.

He raised a hand to caress his throbbing temple. _'_ _Damn, my head hurts. What happened?'_

"'Bout time you woke up, sleeping beauty," A cold, cynical voice spoke up from the driver's seat of the car, one that Dib knew all too well.

"Gaz?" The purple-haired goth nodded in affirmative, keeping her eyes on the road. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be in school?"

"Take a look at the sky, stupid."

Confused, Dib peeked his head out of the window and found himself staring at the orange-colored skies that hung over the town, and every state in the Eastern Standard Time zone right about now.

It didn't take long for Dib to connect the dots. "No way," he breathed out. "How long have I been out?"

Gaz shrugged, pressing down on the gas pedal as she spoke. "Don't know, but it's been a few hours since you and Zim had your little love-spat in front of the school and now the entire town's being flooded with babbling news reporters, a shit ton of SWATs, and some weirdoes in suits working with a group called "Global Justice" or some crap like that."

 _'Global Justice.'_ Dib felt his jaw drop in disbelief; The Global Justice Network is a top secret worldwide espionage that deals with any threats to the world that fall outside the scope of normal law enforcement groups. It also has some of the world's finest scientists, weapons and agents beyond the scope of normal agencies like the CIA, MI6, and even Mossad.

And now they were here in his city. He took that thought with a sense of bitter irony, seeing how the people now decided to pay heed to his "crack-pot conspiracy theories" seriously after Zim practically gift-wrapped his exposure to the entire world.

"Wait a minute, where's Zim?!" Dib suddenly realized, scrambling to remember the last moments of their fight.

"Keep it down before I throw your butt back into that pool," Gaz hissed vehemently. "And no one knows where Zim's at now, the little green freak took off in his ship and hasn't been seen since. But the news say that he's still somewhere on Earth."

"Huh? But why, he has a spaceship so why-" He trailed off when he thought back to the last few moments with Zim before he fell.

* * *

 _ **Zim merely grinned. "Sorry,**_ **Dib," _he spat the teenager's name out as if it were poison. "But I have a planet to conquer, and you unfortunately won't be around to see it."_**

* * *

Could it be that the Invader has been cooking up some kind of new plan to throw the Earth into chaos, or was it just big-talk from someone whose plans just went up in smoke?

 _'Why do a bad feeling that the second one isn't the right one?'_

"So, what now?"

"Huh?" Dib blinked, confused by his little sister's question.

"You obviously won't let Zim go so easily, especially after the years of stalking him up to his doorstep," said Gaz, glancing up so Dib could see her ice-cold eyes in the rear-view mirror. "So are you going to sit back and watch whatever stunts he's going to pull, or are you going to chase him across the globe like always?"

Dib was quiet, thinking about what Gaz pointed out. It's true that hunting down Zim has become practically a hobby for the teenager since the Irken's first day on Earth, and has grown to know Zim so well that he can predict his moves several times without hesitation. As well-equipped as Global Justice and the other government agencies were, they didn't know how unpredictable Zim was, and how dangerous he could become when backed into a corner. Dib, on the other hand, had several bruises and scars to showcase Zim's threat to humanity.

He shivered involuntary as he thought back to all the times that Zim has tried to kill him. It didn't take long for him to realize that Zim was taking things seriously now, trying to remove Dib from the picture so the big-headed teen wouldn't interfere in his plans of world domination for his leaders. Ever since their first fight, an event that's almost nostalgic to the paranormal investigator, Dib slowly prepared for the day where the two would clash for the final time and only one of them would walk away alive.

There wasn't any doubt in his mind, he _had_ to be the one to stop Zim once and for all... no matter the cost.

* * *

Invader Zim was many things. Intelligent, proud, ruthlessly loyal to the glorious Irken Empire, and one of the "best" operatives that the Tallest had programmed in several Irken years. Going by this, it's no surprise that Zim would be a good choice in bringing about the downfall of Earth and her many civilizations. However, like everyone else, Zim had a few flaws that he wasn't willing to admit. He was overzealous, narcissistic, and had some anger issues that he refused to get worked out.

Despite this, one would assume that Zim is capable of escaping the eyes of Earth's authorities, right?

 _"WEE~!"_ GIR screamed over the sounds of shrieking alarms.

"GIR, DON'T JUST SIT THERE! HELP ME!"

The robot's bright-blues optics turned into a deep, scarlet red. **_"Yes, master!"_** he stated in a much deeper voice. However, another shake knocked him off his seat and onto the ship's floor, causing GIR to retort back to his original personality. _"Oooh, I like the pretty lights!"_

"GAH!"

...yeah, not so much.

Zim hadn't expect this day to turn out this terrible, in fact, he honestly expected to go home with a grin on his face and a big-headed human being blown to bits all over the skool. But no, Dib saw through his plan and turned it against him, causing the alien's true identity to be exposed to the public eye, and forcing him to flee before he was captured and experimented on by human scientists like some kind of lab rat.

He took off to space, hoping to seek solace on one of the solar system's lifeless planets or moons, and work out a plan to return to Earth and bring about its doom to please his Tallest after his mishap during Operation: Impending Doom I.

What he hadn't expect was Earth's increased global defenses in the year following the Lowardians' attack on Earth, especially how fast they reacted to his ship trying to leave the planet's orbit. By the time he broke through the Stratosphere, several human fighter jets suddenly appeared out of nowhere and begun shooting at his Voot Cruiser, forcing him to take refuge on the planet below to avoid being blown to smithereens or being sucked out into outer space.

It's been an hour since the chase started, and there were only two fighter jets left out of the original ten that ambushed Zim. However, Zim's ship had taken some damage as evident of the trailing smoke from one of the left engines and the many puncture holes in the ship's armor.

A growl escaped from Zim's clenched teeth as he weaved through the puffy clouds in an effort to throw off his pursuers, but these pilots were very keen on their target and mimicked Zim's every move. He had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that these humans were good, but not as good as him. No one was.

Up ahead, Zim could make out the faint outline of one of Earth's mountains and an idea suddenly came to him. It was risky, but it was one that he had to take if he were to accomplish his role in Impending Doom II. Accelerating, he lowered the ship down to the point of where the trees were dancing across the underbelly of his ship, the two human jets following close behind.

 _'Good,'_ he thought in sadistic glee. _'Le_ _t's see if you two meatbags can keep up with Zim's piloting skills.'_

"GIR, strap yourself in. Things are about to get a little dizzy," he commanded, keeping his eyes on the mountain.

 _"YAY~!"_

Zim punched the throttle, his ship vibrating from the sudden acceleration, as more power was poured into the engines. He didn't need to look at the computer to know the two jets were furiously trying to keep up the alien spacecraft, while trying not to overheat their own engines. The seconds ticked by like hours as the mountain grew closer and closer, Zim focusing on the objective in front of him, and GIR giggling like a little kid in a sugar-high.

Just when it looked like that they were going to smash into the mountain's bottom, Zim jerked the control yoke up so fast that he nearly broke it off from the dashboard. The ship tilted upwards and raced across the surface of the mountain while the human jets following him were unprepared for the sudden action that they couldn't stop their own aircraft from smashing into the mountains, sending shards of hot-red metal and rubble all over the forest, setting several forest trees on fire and killing several animals in the process.

"Fools!" Zim laughed, no remorse for the lives he just claimed. "You are nothing but insects beneath the genius intellect of Zim!"

 _"Woo-wee, that was fun!"_ GIR cheered, bouncing up and down in his seat. _"I liked when the big metal birds went boom-boom at the end, can we do it again?"_

"No, GIR," said Zim. "For now, we must take refuge among the Earth's wildlife and plan for our next move against the humans."

 _"Aww..."_ GIR whined. _"But I wanna see more things go boom-boom!"_

Zim growled in frustration. "You can have your 'boom-booms' after we contact the Tallest to inform them of our situation."

 _"Hmm... okey-dokey, then."_

It didn't take long for the two to land the ship inside a barren cave on the outskirts of the forest to hide their presence from the humans that would send out more scouts after their failure with the patrol Zim destroyed. While GIR went to work on starting a fire for Zim's warmth and the small robot's desire of roasting food, the Irken was trying to contact his leaders and let them know of the recent development in his mission.

"Computer!" Zim declared loudly.

There was a series of beeps until the computer's logo popped up in a small hologram. **"Yeah?"** It grumbled in annoyance.

"I need you to open communications with _'The Massive'_ so that I may request reinforcements to come to my aid, and assist me in the dooming of Earth's fate, so that I can laugh at the collective soiling of all human pants when they arrive!"

 **"...okay?"** The computer replied, confusion evident in its artificial voice. **"And you want to do this, because?"**

"Eh?" Zim blinked. "Wait, do you not know what's been happening for the past several Earth hours?"

 **"...should I?"**

The Irken's eyes narrowed angrily. "We're being chased across the planet by human law enforcement after my identity was exposed to the public by that damnable Dib, was nearly shot down by a human air patrol not even ten minutes ago, and you're finding out about all of this now?!"

 **"Well, sorrrry!"** The computer snapped. **"It's not my fault that I was the paranoid gnat who decided to shut down his AI without warning, and proceed to reactivate said AI in the middle of some godforsaken place, hundreds of miles away from the nearest form of technology. If you were in my position, you'd be a little peeved too, you annoying green parasite!"**

"SILENCE!" Zim roared, causing GIR to fall onto the fire he had just started and plunging the cave back into darkness. "I am in no mood for your tongue, computer, so just patch me through to the Armada immediately!"

For a moment, Zim thought that the computer had decided to shut itself down, until it responded with a grain of bitterness. **"Fine, just give me a damn minute."**

Zim laid back in his seat while the computer went to work, his thoughts drifting to the last time he had spoken with his leaders.

It was approximately three years ago, back when rumors of an inter-galactic war between the Irkens and the Triceratons was beginning to spread among the Irken Network Feed because of the Triceratons raiding transports full of sweets for the Tallest. He tried desperately to allow his leaders to take a small leave-of-absence from Earth so that he could help the Empire combat against those mutated brutes, but they refused, telling him that should he contact them or listen in on Irken broadcasts for the next ten Irken years, his status as an Invader would be revoked and he would be sentenced to seven life-servings at Foodcourtia.

And so, with the fear of working with Sizz-Lorr for the rest of his life, Zim reluctantly obeyed his Tallest and continued his mission of trying to conquer the Earth. He knew that the Tallest would not react well to his message, but they needed to hear this as the entire fate of Operation: Impending Doom II rests on Earth's allegiance to the Irken Empire.

 _'They'll understand, they have too,'_ Zim thought, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. _'Once they understand the situation, they'll send help to my aid, and I'll finally be able to conquer the Earth with no resistance.'_

After all, how bad could things have turned out during these last three Earth years for his people?

* * *

In a distant corner of outer space, dozens of spaceships cruised across the nebula that served as the current base of operations for those working hastily inside each individual ship. Each ship was perfectly situated to provide maximum protection to the behemoth vessel that was apparent to all spectators that it served as the command ship for the armada. Hundreds of Spittle Runners - capable of holding up to at least three small beings, no more than the size of a child - sped around the slow-moving command ship like bees protecting their hive. However, the one thing that stood out the most on this armada was the image of a strange alien symbol at the head of the armada's capital ship with a triangular head pointing downwards, two bulbous eyes on each side of the head, and two curved horns at the head's top.

This was the proud Irken Armada of the Irken Empire.

On the bridge of _'The Massive'_ \- the capital ship for the Irken Armada - Red and Purple, the All-Mighty Tallest, stood proudly above the feeble crew that worked to keep their vessel afloat, feasting on sweets to help calm their nerves from the latest reports in their war against the Triceratons. And it wasn't good. It's been seven Irken months since the overgrown reptiles that were the Triceratons invaded planet Irk, and turned its entire surface into glass as an act of intimidation to the Irken Empire. Thankfully, the Tallest had their sweets evacuated in time before the bombardment and retreated into the depths of space to hide out and lick their wounds, while leading the war-effort from afar. However, ever since that day, things have gotten worse for the Empire, as the Triceratons began devastating planets loyal to the Irkens to smoke out the Tallest with the threat of killing those loyal to their cause.

But there was one thing that the Triceratons didn't know about the Tallest; they didn't care about any lives, save for their own.

"Grob, I'm so _b-o-o-o-o-r-e-d_ ," Purple groaned, earning a few looks from the crew members annoyed by their leader's nonchalant attitude about war. "It's been three _freaking_ years, and those stupid dinosaur rejects still aren't letting up. Can't they just call it quits, and go home already?"

"One, they don't have a home since it blew up a long time ago," Red dryly said. "And two, we're at war. You can't just "Call it quits" and go home without your enemy's head in your hands as a trophy, that's just uncivilized. Besides, it's actually funny to see them throw a temper tantrum every time that they don't catch us."

Purple thought about it for a moment, before chuckling with his fellow leader. "Yeah, you're right."

"My Tallest, we're receiving a transmission on the emergency channel." The communications officer for _'The Massive'_ announced, gaining his leaders' attention. "Alpha Code: Miyuki-3-30-01."

Both Red and Purple raised a non-existent eyebrow at the same time, glancing at each other out of the corner of their eye. It was a well-known fact that the usage of that particular code had to either A.) Has high authority in the Empire's food chain (excluding themselves, of course), and B.) Has some state-of-emergency concerning the Empire's wellbeing.

"Hmph, probably Oruk calling to tell us about his progress on Ixcor VII," Purple scoffed, showing outward contempt for the Irken commander, who is probably the biggest ass-kisser in the Empire's military. Originally, he didn't mind the worthless life-form's daily groveling, but that all changed Oruk walked in on one of his private bath sessions' to boast about his then victory at Algor XIII. The only reason they keep him around is because of his military significance in the war.

"Actually, my Tallest, it's coming from one of the planets in the Uncolonized Zones." The same officer replied. He turned to look at his console. "Apparently, the transmission is coming from a planet called..." He squinted his bolbous eyes at the screen. "...Ee-Arth."

The Tallest blinked. "Ee-Arth?"

"Yes, My Tallest, it's an older code, but it checks out with the scanners. Shall I put it through?"

"Sure, why not?" Red shrugged nonchalantly.

Nodding, the officer pushed several buttons that activated the holo-screen, which flowed brightly for a moment before the image cleared up to reveal the form of a weary-looking Zim. _"Invader Zim reporting in, sirs. The mission has been compromised."_

Red's jaw dropped in horror, while Purple's eyes went wide. _"I know that you expected better from me, but recent events has forced me into hiding from the planet's authorities. My Voot Runner has sustained minimal damage, and I am cut off from all forms of escape routes by the Earthlings' planetary shields, but my Irken resolve still remains strong as ever!"_

"Zim..." Red whispered.

"I thought he was dead." Purple commented to himself.

 _"No, I am very much alive, sustained by my singular hatred for that accursed Dib-stink!"_ Zim hissed like a cat. _"Ooh, had I paid more attention to his measly human reactions, I could have prevented all of this from happening."_

"All of what, Zim?" Red asked, raising an eyebrow at the seething Irken Defect.

Zim, realizing that he was ranting, composed himself with a deep breath, before speaking. _"Right. At approximately 1130 hours this planetary rotation, I regret to inform you, my wonderful All-Mighty Tallest, that the humans have learned of my true identity through... unconventional means. Right now, I am being hunted by the planet's authorities, whose technology has received a immense upgrade in the years following my arrival on this planet. Furthermore - "_

"Get to the point, Zim," Red grunted in annoyance.

 _"Of course, My Tallest,"_ Zim took in a deep breath, before blurting out _, "canyousendtheArmadaouttohelpme?!"_

"...what?"

Zim exhaled, looking severely weary as he spoke slowly. _"I request that you would be willing enough to dispatch reinforcements to help me out of my predication."_

...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Tallest roared with laughter, slapping their laps and howling like monkeys while their servants look at them with a look of confusion and concern.

 _"Uh... My Tallest, what is so funny?"_ Zim asked in confusion, still watching his leaders laugh their asses off at the outcast's predicament.

"HAHAHAHAhehehe, oh man," Purple wiped a non-existent tear from his eye. "Thank you, Zim, for that joke. Man, we should have kept you around longer than before. You're hilarious."

 _"But Zim is not joking! The Earthlings have discovered my true identity, and are hunting me across the planet. I have nowhere to go, and I need reinforcements to assist me, grop, I'll even accept Skoodge for help!"_

"...you know what, Zim, you're right," Red suddenly said, sounding very somber. "We should, and will, help you."

Purple and the bridge crew suddenly stopped in their tracks, and swirled their heads around to gape like a gasping fish at Red, who was busy writing something down on a notepad while Zim himself looked on in joy. _"Thank you, oh thank you, my All-Mighty Tallest,"_ the outcast sang with joy. _"I promise that you won't regret this!"_

"Uh-huh, that's nice. Now, I'm sending you a list of things to use to make a... inter-dimensional portal thingy that will bring the whole Armada to Earth. When we get there, you just sit back and relax while we take care of the rest of the Earthlings, got it?"

 _"Roger that!"_ Zim chirped, saluting his superiors. _"Invader Zim out!"_

The moment that Zim's image winked out, a sly smile grew on Red's face and a small snicker began to escape from his throat. Purple looked on in confusion and anger, the nerve of his co-leader of actually agreeing with that... that... that _outcast_ actually infuriated him more than it should have.

"Red, what the frag was that all about?!" he all but yelled, causing some of the crew to flinch in their seats. "Why in the sevens sentry moons of Irk would you agree to help out that little parasite? He's nothing but a hindrance to us, aside from the occasional laugh or two, and is an _exile_ in case you forgot! That's the whole reason we sent him to that godforsaken rock to begin with!"

His co-leader's response was him shoving the notepad into his face and saying, "Read it."

With a growl, he swiped the notepad out of Red's hand and began scanning its contents. Within moments, he too was sharing a laugh as his mind read off the items listed inside his cranium. The fact that the little parasite was going to make a trans-dimensional... whatever, out of these parts was both laughable and pitiful at the same time.

"Let's see him try bringing us into his problems now!" Red chortled.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Irkens, however, their chat session had unknowingly invited a third party to overhear the conversation. The Global Justice, once a top-secret government organization, has evolved into a defense force for the United States of America in the wake of the Lowardian invasion. Their headquarters, located in a remote part of the Mojave Desert, held over a thousand personnel on-duty, ready to give their lives to defend not just their country, but the entire world from any sort of threat, whether it'd be from the forces of a mad meathuman, a ruthless terrorist organization, and even mechanical and ancient alien beings from beyond the stars.

However, the members of GJ had accidentally mistaken the All-Mighty Tallest's joke to invade the Earth as a real threat of global proportions and assembled the World Security Council to discuss this new information. The speaker, a middle-aged woman in a blue jumpsuit and a black eyepatch over her right eye, spoke without a trace of fear in her strong voice, "And so, with this new information intercepted by our deep-space satellites, we now believe that the alien fugitive now identified as Invader Zim is right now plotting to bring his entire race to our planet as we speak."

 _"And you're sure of this, Dr. Director?"_ the Brazilian Councilwoman asked, narrowing her eyes at the image of the woman who has fought in war-zones such as Panama, Afghanistan, Iraq, and so on. _"We've all heard the recordings, and some of us are not entirely convinced at all about these extra-terrestrials."_

 _"Indeed,"_ the American Councilman nodded, his white moustache moving whenever he spoke. _"While these invaders do poise as a potential threat, they're too far out of range from Earth and would take years, perhaps even decades, to get here should their operative try creating this... "inter-dimensional portal thingy" his superiors spoke of. We could easily place our operatives in key governmental facilities across the globe on the look-out for this Invader Zim and put him down before it grows out of hand."_

"That may be so, but I do not believe that we should spread our operatives out across the globe so thinly that we're open to an attack." Dr. Betty Director stated. "We've already suffered enough losses from the Lowardian invasion, and our recent skirmishes with Cobra in the Amazonian Jungle has cost us over dozens of good men and women that we can't afford to follow any kind of rumors for awhile."

 _"Zen vat do you propose, Director,"_ the German Councilman rhetorically asked. _"Dat ve vait for ze alien to strike vhen our guard is lowered, and cost us our homes for ze price of our ignorance?"_

"No." was the director's determined reply. "We don't wait for an attack, we strike before it can. And I have just the means of how to do so?"

 _"How exactly?"_

Betty Director knew what she was about to suggest would change the course of history, and could potential either be the best or worst decision she's made since being sworn in as Global Director of Global Justice. She just prayed that it was the former.

"Tell me, ladies and gentlemen, are you familiar with the Defenders Initiative?"


End file.
